Equity of Access Improving accessibility & affordability? Gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, special needs, SES • Differences in resource access between genders on the wane in developed countries • Culture matters – in some cultures boys more confident in ICT use than female peers • Inequities can be reduced through creative strategies – gaming, peer coaching, role modelling, adult mentoring • Inequities across and within national boundaries on basis of affluence & socio economic status revealed • Attitude differences; training and support distinctions • Equity means more than hardware count • Inclusive transformational vision requires research into what has been accomplished with counted machines

Inclusive Education: The Role of ICTs Country Programme Examples • Rwanda – gender disparities non-existent in newly qualified teachers where male and female graduates display equal facility in computer use and where ICT literacy represents a force to transcend gender inequity and promote continued female education (Makama & Andersson 2008) • South Africa - strategic collaboration between government, private sector and civil society in initiatives such as the Mindset Network Organization and the Khanya Education Technology Project using ICT to both promote access to secondary education and serve as change agents in a paradigm shift of teaching and learning (Evoh 2007) • Nigeria - ICT use as an ODL vehicle for transforming the educational scene –cellular mobile telephony enabling experiments with adult literacy learners as well as opening doors to economic empowerment of adult illiterates (Aderinoye 2008) • Cape Verde - distance education and ICT modalities utilized to address equity and ensure sustainability of provision in problematic areas of post-primary and tertiary education (Atchoarena, Da Grace & Marquez 2008) Gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, special needs, SES

Unexpected Findings Absence of the Southern Voice in the Literature • The global knowledge economy follows an established hierarchy even as it is premised on ideals of equality. It does not always involve the unfettered movement of capital, technology, ideas or people, but often entails the one-way movement of educated elite out of countries… (Stambach & Maleka 2006 p333) • Researchers ask whether the apparent isolation of Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs) is not more attributable to the on-going prejudices of the developed world as it is to LDC shortcomings (Le Baron & McDonough 2009 p30)

Some questions for discussion • Should education be re-visualized to optimize the impact of emerging ICT technologies? • How can we enhance the dialogue between ICT4E research, policy and development of education practice? • How can we use innovative research at ‘classroots’ (micro) and institutional (meso) levels to inform and shape policy at national (macro) level in a way which will lead to transformational change? • How can research networks adequately support governments in monitoring ICT policy as it turns into action? Thank you!